


kiss me with adventure (til i forget my name)

by windingriver



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Buffy Stays, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Bisexual Andi Mack, Bisexual Character, Bisexual Jonah Beck, Closeted Character, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, First time relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Long-Time Crushing, On-Again/Off-Again Relationship, Recreational Drug Use, Slow Burn, Swearing, Underage Drinking, Underage Drug Use, Yearning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-11 21:46:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15325038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/windingriver/pseuds/windingriver
Summary: Amber Clearlake has been out of sight, out of mind for the majority of Andi Mack's high-school career. She's on top of the world with all extracurriculars and plans to get out of Utah after she graduates in a year. But it isn't the same for Amber. Andi's been on her mind since high-school started for the Good Hair Squad and the cause behind her character switch. Still, Amber can only hope for friendship someday in the near future.But during a party at a state college, a chance meeting of two ships in the night could prove to be the in Amber's been praying for and a wake-up call that the past is in the past for lil old Andi Mack.





	kiss me with adventure (til i forget my name)

**Author's Note:**

> title based off hayley kiyoko's song "cliff's edge" - _Love until we burn up, fire // Do whatever gets you seen // Kiss me with adventure //Til I forget my name_
> 
> first andi mack fic! i really love amber/andi as a ship, and i really hope i've done a good job at nailing the characters. rating may go up, and i may extend this past five chapters, i'm just setting a cap for now.

Andi Mack attends her first college party her junior year of high school. She’s sixteen-years-old and very accomplished at the B. Franklin High School. She’s known as junior class vice president, founder of the well-attended and organized Crafts for Kids club, member of the dance squad and co-choreographer for the spring cheerleading squad’s. In the fall, she’s been the lead or at least a major role for the musicals and plays at her high school. In her town, there isn’t a single place where she isn’t recognized, and though she does have a few haters, a few choice people who think she’s a goody-two-shoes try-hard, she tends to ignore them in favor of listening to the people who matter. Buffy and Cyrus are still her best friends, they’re the Good Hair Squad after all. After the fright they had over Buffy's possible moving away, they grew closer than siblings. For all the fantastic things she does, she keeps a tight inner circle and tries to just focus on solidifying and bettering her relationships with her already established friends.

  


So, it’s to her surprise and to Buffy’s surprise that, the Treasurer for the Senior class, she gets invited to attend a college party at the ripe age of sixteen. The Treasurer is Molly McKinnwell, and she’s notorious for her inability to drive properly and her desire for attention. She has well-intentions however, and to Andi’s surprise, she pulls her aside after one of the all-grades class council meetings. They're currently deciding what the theme for the prom that year should be. 

  


“Andi, right?” Molly asks. She’s this untouchable, beautiful red-haired girl, who is a member of the cheer squad. She’s wearing her cheer uniform with an earnest, curious expression on her face.

  


“Yes! Hi Molly,” Andi greets. She tucks the stray strands that come out of her half-bun behind her ear as she pauses in her steps. She’s still a bubbly, cheerful, ambitious girl with her head full of dreams and fantasies of success.

  


“You just got your license didn’t you? I remember hearing el Presidente Buffy bragging about how you only got one mark off for not checking your mirrors when you were parking.” Molly gushes. Molly's a fun-spirited, joyful person despite the rumors Andi hears from time to time.

  
“I did.”

  


“Congrats,” Molly jerks her thumb towards the exit, “let’s walk and talk back to the parking lot.”

  


“Oh,” she glances at Buffy, who is hovering by the doorway, watching her curiously, “I’m actually supposed to give Buffy and I’s friend, Cyrus, a ride home,  so y’know…”

  
“Do you think they’ll mind? I’ll make it quick.” Molly shoots her a pouty look and Andi bites her lower lip before nodding. 

  
“Buffy, I’ll meet you at my car?” She calls out, turning to her best friend. Buffy shrugs and gives them both a wave, though her expression clearly reads: _Tell me about this later._

_  
_

“So,” Molly starts to say as they take the other exit at the front of the classroom towards the parking lot, “I’m sure you know I’m not well known for my driving abilities.” Andi bites her lower lip anxiously.

  


“I don’t believe all the rumors, and I swear, I really try not to believe them.” Molly laughs at the lean Asian girl’s remark.

  


“Don’t worry about it, Andi, it’s mostly true.” She smiles bashfully. “Anyway, I was wondering if you’re not doing anything Saturday night, if you would mind driving me and a couple friends to this party and hanging around with us for a bit.”

  


“Oh,” Andi winces, “I’m not really supposed to drive anyone after 10PM or anyone really for another year.” She remembers the strict curfew rules and the promise to follow the rules when Cece and Ham introduced her to her car. Then again... she spends the majority of her time with her mom and dad at their house, since they had their little baby boy, so there isn’t a way her grandparents would know she was out late or breaking a couple rules.

  


“We’ll be really careful, and I promise, we’ll get you back before midnight.” Molly clasps her hands together. “Please? My parents just took my car away so I’m carpooling with Irena, and she’s going out of town… I’ll owe you big time.”

  
It’s a Thursday so she has some time to decide, and Andi takes out her phone.

  


“Tell you what, I’ll let you know before tomorrow if it’s okay, just give me your number,” Molly takes the phone with a grateful grin.

  


“It would mean so much if you could. I swear, you’ll have a  _ great _ time.” Molly gives her a quick hug before darting off towards Irena’s car. Andi watches her go with a slight expression of concern. She's going to bring it up to her parents and if they totally veto it, which, knowing her rebellious wanderlust, outside-of-the-box parents, they probably won't, she won't go through with it.

  


“Trading me in for an older model?” Buffy  asks, sizing her best friend up once she arrives at her car. They always park next to each other under the shade of the trees in the parking lot on the far southern side, out of the senior’s way.

  


“Not even!” Andi giggles. “She just wanted a D.D for this party on Saturday.” She tries to wave it off as if it isn't a big deal, but Buffy can sense it is to her best friend.

  


“Are you going to do it?” Buffy asks. One sharp brow is quirked and her hands are on her hips. “You know it’s against the rules and if you’re grandparents find out, you might get your car taken away from you.”

  


“I think it’ll be fine, you know since I usually just keep the car at my parent’s anyway, they won’t find out this one time.” Andi rolls her eyes. “Put your mom face away, I’m sure if you wanted to come along it wouldn’t be a big deal.”

  


“Can’t.” Her best friend’s gaze drifts to the side. “I’ve got… plans on Sunday. Can’t miss ‘em.” Andi knows that secretive glance, and grins knowingly.

  


“Oh plans with a Mr. Marty Goldstein, huh?” She smirks at Buffy’s flush.

  


“It isn’t like that this time around!” She exclaims. 

  
“Oh sure,” Andi rolls her eyes. Buffy and Marty refuse to acknowledge that they’re seeing each other, off-again, on-again, even though they are. Sure, it was cute when they were thirteen, but both Cyrus and Andi agree that Buffy should just buck up and properly tell the kid that he’s her boyfriend.

  


“Ugh,” Andi thinks Buffy’s noise of disgust is coming from Andi’s sarcastic remark, but when she follows Buffy’s hateful glare she follows it to the top of the parking lot where it’s none other than her childhood crush and first ex-boyfriend, Jonah Beck. He aged well, and is leaning up against the hood of white Toyota where Jenna Leinheim is running her hands through his tidy fringe. “Does the boy have any morals?”

  


“Oh shush,” Andi laughed good-naturedly. It was no secret between them that from time to time, her and Jonah did indeed occasionally make-out from time to time whenever they were both feeling somewhat lonely. Yes, Andi did still have some moments of loneliness that went away when she was in Jonah’s arm, and Jonah did have an urge to feel desired that couldn’t be fulfilled by just anyone. However, they'd made it clear they weren't an item even though Andi's only other ex-boyfriend, Henry, swore it was all a lie. He'd even called her a cheater, but those rumors were quickly disssipated. Buffy thought it was ridiculous and from time to time thought Andi was in over her head about her involvement with Jonah. “It’s not a big deal. Jenna’s a cool girl.”

  


“So you say,” Buffy rolls her eyes knowingly. After all these years, she  _still_ gets Andi like no one else.

  


“I’m not the one who refuses to acknowledge her  _ actual _ relationship with Mr. Marty McFly.” Andi winks good-naturedly at her cloud-haired friend, causing her to groan. 

  


"Actually, speaking of problematic faves, where is Cyrus?” She frowns. Andi's eyes scan over the parking lot before viewing their brunet friend exiting a black Chevy Honda with ruffled hair and adjusting the collar of his shirt.

  


“Someone just had a good time with none other than,” Andi narrowed her eyes as her eyes widened when she saw the popular William Fitzher. “Oh. My. God." She gasps. Her eyes widen and her grin widens at the prospect of a good story from their friend.

  


“Oh my god, he’s hooking up with Will?” Buffy exclaims, mouth dropping open. Andi knocks her elbow into Buffy’s ribs with a grin, pointing to where none other than T.J Kippen standing two cars away with arms crossed over his chest. “Ooh, he’s gonna blow!” Buffy almost shouts, her hands clapping together excitedly.

  


“Should we interfere?” Andi murmurs. Worry covers her expression as Cyrus makes his way to them, avoiding a few cars, with confusion at Buffy’s excited face and Andi’s worried one.

  


“Hey,” he greets, “what’s going on?” Cyrus frowns before following their eye line and his eyes widen. He groans and buries his face in his hands.

  


“You conniving lil sneak! You just broke up with T.J!” Buffy exclaims. She turns to him and grabs for Cyrus’s forearms.

  


“No,” Cyrus’s expression turns bashful, “he’s not out yet, but Will is, and he’s bi, and definitely he’s not ashamed to be seen with me.”

  
“Well T.J obviously doesn’t get that you’re totally over him.” Andi murmurs. She gives him a baleful stare and he flushes.

  


“I told him we were though!” Cyrus pouts. “Is it my fault that he can’t resist this face?” He bats his eyelashes. 

  
“Uh oh,” Buffy pokes Cyrus in the ribs as they spot TJ making a beeline for their cars rather than confronting Will,  “I think we better dip.”

  


“Right.” Andi agrees. She darts for the driver side, and her friend’s follow suit frantically. Cyrus puts on some pop song that they jam out to the whole drive over to the Spoon Diner where they camp out to study and do their work. Andi and Cyrus sing along, dancing lightly in the car, even though Andi does occasionally think about Jonah and the way he was wound around Jenna. She can’t help the ire that builds in  her throat, especially not when she’s still fighting the urge to ask him out again. The Good Hair Squad just finished binging  _How I Met Your Mother_ last summer and Andi can’t help but wonder if Jonah is her Ted Moseby, the one she always comes back to, even in the end. Buffy hated the ending, just as much as Cyrus bemoaned the lack of gay representation, which she agreed, and outwardly, Andi agreed with both of them even though on the inside she was secretly pleased that Ted ended up with Robin. The consistency of their broken relationship kind of paralleled her rocky one with Jonah.

  


They get to the Spoon, which has been renovated to extend more into the parking lot since their spike in popularity. The space is still true to that 1950’s vibe, but it’s expanded with more booths and tables to accommodate families and students. Andi pats their usual booth with fondness when Buffy arrives.

  


“Before we get down to business, let’s talk.” She pins Cyrus with her inquisitive stare. “Spill the beans, Goodman.” He flushes and opens his mouth when the waiter comes over to take their orders.

  


“The usual?”

  


“Yup!” Andi chirps. She’s taken to drinking tea and even though the Spoon just has the generic Lipton brand, she adds enough sugar to fuel her through her long nights to finish her work. Buffy waves the waiter off with a fervent nod and Andi frowns at her lack of manners.

  


“Oh c’mon,” her brilliant friend twists her lips into a look of knowingness, “you’re dying to know too, aren’t you?” Andi bites her lower lip then nods quickly in agreement.

  


“Spill the tea.” Andi says with finality. “I can’t believe you didn’t update us about Will.”

  


“It just kind of happened!” Cyrus frowns. “I didn't _mean_ to not tell you guys. You’re both so busy planning prom that I barely saw you guys last week.”

  


“So this Will thing’s been happening for a week?” Buffy has her mom face on with her arms crossed over her chest and everything. Andi glances at Buffy when she asks this question and gets the strangest feeling her best friend is destined to be some high government official with her knife-sharp focus on interrogating.

  


“Yeah, basically.” Cyrus murmurs, his cheeks red. Their best guy friend has only grown into his attractive qualities, and it helps that he’s so well-groomed. He dresses cleanly, with ironed and pressed Oxford shirts, sweater vests and khakis with his haired always gelled and styles to emphasize his sharp angular face.

  


“Tell us everything,” Andi grins and grabs Cyrus’s hand encouragingly.

  


They spend the afternoon listening to Cyrus’s story about him and T.J. The last thing they heard about was when Cyrus decided to break with the captain of the track team last week. T.J revealed he didn’t have any plans to ask Cyrus to prom or even introduce him to his friends, in response to Cyrus murmuring about how he thought he was falling in love with the older boy. During that conversation, Cyrus told him if they weren’t going anywhere then that was the end of them and he fled, starting to walk home when Will pulled over and offered him a ride home. Apparently, Will, the fun-loving soccer forward who came out in last fall, saw Cyrus run out of TJ’s house from across the street where he lived and saw the opportunity to do the right thing.  _ That _ was the part Cyrus hadn’t told them about when he updated them on TJ and him. He and Will started texting and Will asked him to go out a couple of times, out of their town and into the city to explore the night life.

  


“He’s just a fun guy,” Cyrus murmurs, his eyes trained on the table. His lower lip is caught between his teeth, being worn down. There’s guilt in his eyes, and Andi has a pull in her gut of solidarity when she knows where that feeling is coming from. “And then today during study hall, Will asked me to just sneak off with him, and that’s well,” he blushes and pulls the collar of his shirt to the side to reveal the blooming red marks just above his collarbone.

  


“Oh!” Buffy gasps. “No freaking way!”

  


“How many times have you two done that?” Andi asks. She’s sitting forward, on the edge of her seat, fascination coloring her features.

  


“This is the first time!” Cyrus exclaims. “And I wanted it, yeah, but I didn’t think it would happen so fast.” He frowns slightly. “T.J waited until the third date to kiss me, and I figured I’d have more time before I was, well, uh, snogging a cute boy in the backseat at school!” He groans and buries his face in his hands. 

  


“Well,” Buffy sits back in her seat. There’s an impressed and judgy look in her eyes, but just before she can pass her criticism, Cyrus’s phone starts vibrating to signal that he’s got a text. All three eyes shoot to it when they notice the caller is T.J.

  


“Clearly, he’s not over you.” Andi remarks casually. She notes the guilt flee Cyru's eyes to be filled with hope, and is quietly hoping Buffy doesn't catch it, too.

  


“Should I answer?” Cyrus asks. He swallows hard as his hand flexes before clenching to prevent him from grabbing it.

  


“I don’t know…” Buffy frowns. “It seems like a bad idea, y’know? He’s just trying to start a fight anyway, it’s too soon for you two to have a levelheaded conversation.”

  


“You’re right.” Cyrus admits. Andi catches the way he physically deflates from the brief excitement he had over the prospect of answering the phone and gives him a sympathetic pat on the hand as their drinks and fries arrive.

  


“Hey,” Andi smiles as she drops the tea bag into her tea, “you two will talk soon, and I think, even if he didn’t say it, he definitely has some deeper feelings for you.”

  


“She’s right, but that’s besides the point. He’s just acting like a jealous cow and wants to start a scene.” Buffy comments frowning. She still holds a tiny grudge despite her best friend’s involvement.

  


“I know, but,” Cyrus peeks up at them where his eyes are trained on his still vibrating phone, “is it wrong that I want to talk to him?”

  


“No!”

  
“Yes.”

Andi glares at Buffy for her decisive tone and rolls her eyes.

“Buffy, you don’t get it.”

“Maybe not, but I do have common sense and it’s telling me that you shouldn’t talk to him. You’re clearly the winner in this situation. You’re moving on, going to bigger places, you’re applying to NYU next fall remember? He’s probably just going to go to some state school.”

  
“And what’s wrong with that?” Andi frowns. “Some college is better than no college. We can’t all be brainiacs.” She’s in good academic standing, and known for being studious, but she isn’t carrying a startling 4.3 like Buffy or even a 4.0 like Cyrus. She’s sporting a solid 3.8, weighted, and banking on her extracurriculars and community building to get her into the college of her dreams.

  


“Oh, c’mon, I didn’t mean it like that.” Buffy sighs. “What I’m tryna say is that, Cyrus is too good for the likes of TJ Kippen. Cyrus is destined for big things and TJ’s probably just gonna keep trying to relive the good old days in the town he grew up in.”

  


“That’s so judgey,” Andi frowns. She’s glaring clearly at Buffy with a clear frown on her face and Buffy just shrugs.  
  


“Maybe so, but I know his type.”

  


“But you don’t know him.” Cyrus quietly interjects. He’s looking up at them, determination on his face now. “Not like I do.”

  


Buffy sighs in admission and just goes to mixing her shake.

  


“Alright, I concede, you’re both right.” Buffy sighs. “Old habits die hard.”

  


“Mhm,” Andi agrees, “and most of the time, we love you for it.”

  


“Yeah,” Cyrus sips at his water, watching his calorie intake during his keto diet. “Let’s just get to studying now, yeah?”

  


“Wait, did Andi tell you about Molly McKinnwell?” Buffy says, her hands reaching for her back.

  


“No.” Cyrus turns to look at Andi with narrowed eyes. “Don't tell me you've finally had your first girlfriend and I missed it!” Andi blushes. She came out last year to them about her straight-girl crushes and sexuality crisis. Together, they all talked through it and came to the conclusion that Andi was attracted to both boys and girls, and promised to keep it between the three of them. Unfortunately for her, in their quaint little Utah town, the bisexual/lesbian community of women was woefully tiny extending only to, well at least her knowledge, Kelly Waterman. Kelly and her talked about girls and how sexuality was a spectrum and it comforted her confused little mind. In the rush of school and extracurriculars with the added weight of a baby brother, it slipped Andi's mind to tell her family

  


“No! She just asked me to be her D.D for a party on Saturday, I’m going to do it, and that’s it.” She glares at Buffy, sipping at her tea. Buffy just gives her a wide-eyed stare of astonishment before glancing at Cyrus for support.

  


“It’s not a good idea! You’re not allowed to do those things. You can’t drive after 10, and you definitely can’t drive anyone for at least a year.”

  


“But she is a careful driver,” Cyrus notes, nodding his head. “She won’t get caught.”

  


“Thank you!” Andi grins.

  


“Fine.” Buffy raises her hands before quoting the distasteful Netflix cartoon they all guiltily enjoyed. “Two Betas beat an Alpha, but whatever.”

  


They all share a laugh before Buffy gestures towards their backpacks as they set the fries in the middle for them to munch on while they get to work. They don’t end up leaving until around 9 at night, Buffy giving Cyrus a ride to his place as Andi taps her head and turns into her cul-de-sac.

  


No one was more surprised than Andi when Bex and Bowie settled into a domestic lifestyle. When they married two summers ago and took Andi on a trip around Europe for their honeymoon, they surprised her with the knowledge that with Bowie’s inheritance from his grandfather’s death, they were using the $40,000 to buy a house. A proper house for a proper-ish family. Bowie decided to start giving guitar lessons at the rec center and do some freelance gigs for a local band consisting of other men in their early 30’s and Bex accepted a job at a beauty school mentoring other girls just outside of town, a solid 40 minute drive. Upon their return from Greece, they were surprised to learn that Bex was almost done with her first trimester. They chalked her vomiting up to traveling as well as her missed period. Nonetheless, they were, all together, mostly overjoyed at the news that they were expanding their little family. In their first month, they were super proactive in moving into the little two story home a good ten minute drive and forty minute walk from Bex’s parent’s place so they wouldn’t be doing any heavy lifting during the more fragile parts of Bex’s pregnancy.

  


They welcomed little Arpeggio, or Arty as they called him, mid-way through Andi’s sophomore year of high school. Though the whole family was sleep deprived, whenever Andi got fed up with the pressure and the exhaustion, she just stayed over at her grandparents for the week or weekend. To everyone’s surprise, Bowie and Bex were shockingly fluid parents and terribly good at keeping positive despite how tired they were, and Cece once said that was the power of loving a child.

  


For the first few months, Andi felt a shocking bolt of jealousy over watching her parents dutifully raise and take care of Arty, something she hadn’t the chance to experience as an infant. She talked through it with Ham who wisely told her that Andi was their example that they could each be parents and create something worthwhile, proving they could make things work no matter what. Her sweet grandfather told her that children give people the chance to become the best versions of themselves, and at the time, Andi embraced him before cornering him about quoting  _Deadpool 2_  at her. He laughed and patted her head affectionately, saying that even if the movie was silly, the sentiment rung true.

  


“Ah-ah!” Was the excited scream greeting her as she unlocked the door.

  


“Arty!” She called out, lifting him into her arms, interrupting his waddle to the door. For two, he was surprisingly clumsy. Not that her parents had a problem with it, they caught him each time and made sure Andi kept a close eye on him.

  


“Hey kiddo,” Bowie says. He peeks his head out through the kitchen doorway, wiping his hands on a dishtowel wearing a “Kiss-the-Cook” apron. She approaches her dad and gives him a kiss on the cheek, balancing Arty on her hip. Her mom is sitting at the table, a tablet open with some video clearly targeted towards entertaining young babies. Despite her exhaustion with motherhood, Bex looks well-refined, and she grins up at her eldest.

  


“Andi Mandy, where’s my kiss?” She teases. Andi gives her a gracious kiss on the cheek, returning Arty back to her lap as Bex presses start on the video. “So how was school? Tell me everything.” She implores.

  


Andi has taken to being completely open with her parents, not just about her life but about her friends. When she got to high-school, they had an important discussion about how being honest with each other was the most important thing to them, and that they were confident that as a unit, they could do anything so long as all the cards were laid out. She fills them in with the latest debate the all-school Student Council was having about what the prom theme should be.

  


“They’re mostly vying for an Under the Water theme, but it’s totally overdone. Buffy’s trying to sway them towards my own idea of Seasons Change, y’know like each of the classes get a season, and the seniors would totally rock as winter and the freshmen get to be spring,” Andi uses her hands to emphasize. "It's just a running battle."

  


“Well you’ve clearly got the superior idea,” Bowie encouragingly says from where he’s laddling the tonkotsu ramen into his family member’s bowls, “I’m surprised Buffy hasn’t gone all psycho and told them how wrong they all are.”

  
“He’s got a point, how’s she keeping a cool head?”

  


“Some of the members told her about her temper and how she’s not getting anywhere if she can’t keep her cool.” Andie shrugs. “But Molly McKinnwell wants me to give her a ride somewhere Saturday night, and she could potentially convince the senior class to run with my idea,” she says this in a tone that makes Bowie and Bex pause in their individual tasks. She glances up at them to see them having a non-verbal conversation. She interprets it as so:

  


_ C’mon babe, it’s politics! She’s doing the right thing. _

_   
_

_ And what if she gets hurt, huh? Do you understand the kind of heat I’d come under from my mom and dad for letting her do this? _

_  
__We could have her check in every now and then. How do we even know they’re doing something bad?_

_   
_

_ Hm… _

_   
_

“Where exactly does she want a ride to?” Bex asks the million dollar question. She’s got her patent, mom face on with a questioning stare and pursed lips.

  


“Just a party with her friends.” Andi throws this in to try and sweeten the deal. “Y’know, it’s probably better I give them a ride. Molly is  _ notorious _ for her awful driving and it’s better that I be around to help her out.”

  


“Hmm…” Bex hums. Bowie gives her a knowing stare and Bex licks her lips before sighing. “Fine, be back by midnight or else.” She waggles a finger threateningly at her.

  


“Yes!” Andi exclaims.

  


“And!” Bex says, a volume louder than is necessary, “don’t you dare let your grandparents know I’m consenting to this. Should they find out, you lie and tell them your dad and I didn’t know.” Bowie chuckles at the statement, but nods  in agreement.

  


“They won’t need to find out because I’ll be super duper careful and nothing bad’s gonna happen anyways.” Andi promises, hoping she’s right about this. She feels butterflies in her stomach fluttering at the prospect of doing something totally new and unexpected. “Thanks guys,” she flings her arms around Bex’s throat tightly before hugging Bowie when he comes over with the tray of ramen. 

  


“But,” Bowie interjects grinning, “you’re watching Arty next Friday so your mom and I can have date night, no money or anything.”

  
“No problemo!” Andi chirps. She grins at Arty, though his face is focused intently on the screen, pinching his cheek teasingly. “Bet we’ll have a _fantastic_ time.”

  
The adults all share a grin as Arty lets out a squawk of annoyance at the pinch and bats at her hands. They eat a fast, dinner interspersed with tidbits about how her parent’s days went. Bex’s is up for a promotion in the salon department, and they talk about how Cece found a fun little game for infants to hone their hand eye coordination. Bex briefly grumbles about how annoying it is that even with her second child her mother still acts like the primarily mother. Andi laughs and teases her about how Cece’s just out to steal all her kids, causing her mom to groan and frown. Bowie and her laugh at her mother’s reaction good-naturedly.

  


She's done with her homework and has some free time to do some writing, glancing longingly at her painting tools. She hasn't had a single free moment to work on her crafting skills, not outside of club activities, but she misses the cathartic calm that overwhelmed her when she was solely focused on painting. 

  


_ U up?  _ Jonah texts her around 11, Andi feels her heart skip and then fall when she realizes this is probably a booty call. She debates whether or not she should respond. She’s grown a lot in the past four years, and her attachment to Jonah basically stems from this inability to let go of the past to some degree. She sometimes wonders if the “love” she feels for him is more like nostalgia.

  


_ Yeah! What’s up? _ She responds, five minutes after she sees the text. She finishes writing her blog post, her Tumblr has upwards of 300 followers for her artwork and crafty DIY videos, and she only started it a month ago! She isn't out yet on her blog, but she plans on writing a lengthy post or doing her first ever vlog on how she came into her sexuality. Her thoughtful planning is interrupted by a noisy vibrating on her desk. He texts back immediately.

  


_ Just wanted 2 talk. Ft? _ She heaves a sigh as anxiety crawls up her stomach over what this could possibly be about. Besides Buffy and Cyrus, Jonah is her closest friend. If he has a girlfriend who doesn't like their proximity, she could potentially lose him again.

  


_ Sure.  _ The call comes and she adjusts her hair in the hand mirror on her desk, brushing it behind her ears, and hits the green answer button.

  


Jonah looks classically disheveled when she picks up. His hair is all ruffled and he’s wearing his baseball jersey, but his face speaks of conflict. She frowns.

  


“Hey,” she says, “what’s up?”

  


“Hey, I just,” he licks his lips, “wanted to talk to you.” 

  
“Okay,” she draws this out, “about what exactly?”

  
“Jenna and I were talking about you and me,” he confesses, “and I lied. I told her we were just friends and you were like my second girlfriend back when we were teens. Then she goes that it sucks because you and I are pretty close together and the guys were chatting about how cute you’ve gotten.” He bites his lower lip, stopping his rant. “Should I have picked you up instead?”

“No, I mean,” her mind is reeling over what he’s just said, “what are you getting at?”

  


“Wanna go out? Like a date. A proper one.” He blurts it out. His cheeks redden as he said this. “I mean, you can say no, you’re not entitled to say yes, but Jenna’s right, we are cute and if I don’t ask you out, one of my teammates is going to,” he frowns at the idea, “but I don’t think it would sit right with me.” Her heart is fluttering and dropping into the pit of her stomach at the same time.

  
“Wow okay,” Andi breathes out. “I,” she gives him a smile, soft and all, “I just need some time to think about that okay? Is that alright?”

  


  
“Oh,” disappointment colors her features and her heart gives out at the sight of his downtrodden expression.

  


“I’m sorry this is just sudden and we’ve made it really clear where we stand and I gotta think about this. Please, just give me the week,” she implores. He nods understandingly. 

  


“I get it,” he gives her an encouragingly smile, “take all the time you need.”

  
She hangs up then and lays her head flat on her desk. Her brain is fifty shades of messed up over what exactly he’s trying to say and what she’s supposed to do with this information. Jonah was her first boyfriend and even her first kiss, and maybe sometimes, when they wanted to, more like when she initiated it, kissed in the backseats of the cars or under the bleachers during rallies. It was a spur of the moment thing when they were overwhelmed or overjoyed, and sometimes needed the reassurance that they were still relevant to each other. There was no denying there was a weird, nostalgic underlying mood between their random hook-ups. When they talked about after the first two incidents, they both just agreed that they physically wanted that connection without going back to the closeness. She hadn’t noticed a difference emotionally from him when they did this.

  


She heaved a sigh and opted for sleep as the best option.

  


Friday passed with an awkward wave between the two that, luckily, neither Cyrus nor Buffy caught on to; their focus was all directed on T.J and Will and avoiding them at all costs. He was damn near predatorial in his hunt to confront Jonah, and Will was hounding Cyrus's phone for them to meet up again. That was her excuse when Jonah asked her to grab lunch with his teammates, that she was offering Cyrus moral support.

  


“Why?” Jonah asks. Concern colors his features, and he frowns. “Is someone bugging him?” She raises a curious brow.

  


“What’s with the 21 questions?”

  


“He’s my friend,” he says defensively, but she catches the way his cheeks flush, “we just haven’t hung out in a while, and I don’t know, we’ve never talked about the whole y’know homosexual thing. N-nah-not that we have to! It’s not a big deal, I just,” he rubs the back of his neck, “want to be there for him.”

  


“Oh,” she smiles slightly, “I can let him know that.” 

  
“Cool,” he nods, just a little too much.  She gives him a small wave turning over her shoulder, but he catches her wrist. “Have you thought about last night?”

  


“Jonah,” she laughs lightly, “it’s only been like twelve hours since we talked, I’ve barely had time to process that.” She says it slowly, and he closes his eyes, groaning.

  


“Right,” he gives her a slight smile, “just text me. And maybe tell Cyrus to text me too. Please.” He gives her a tiny smile. She can just feel the awkwardness radiating off them both so she walks fast and steadily away, shaking her head at how terribly she handled that. However, she also feels a twinge of curiosity about Jonah’s almost overt concern about Cyrus’s well being. There was a twinge of awkwardness when she first told Cyrus about her and Jonah being “make-out buds” but he waved it off, laughing nervously and saying he had TJ so it was “out of sight, out of mind.” 

  


The whole day, she thought about Jonah and Cyrus and Jonah and then Cyrus. Her brain was racing over the idea of being Jonah’s girlfriend again after so long and the phrase “let sleeping dogs lie.” But, that raised the idea of losing that connection her and Jonah shared, and the bigger question: was she ready to let go of the past? It wasn’t until the end of the day, en route to her car to meet her best friends when she heard someone call her name.

  


“Andi!” Molly’s bubbly voice caught her mid-step. “Hey, so you didn’t text me, which is fine I just need to know about tomorrow.”

  


“Oh god,” she slapped her forehead, “I totally forgot, but tomorrow works perfectly! Here,” they stepped to the side to hover beside someone’s bumper as she texted Molly to give her own number, “just texted you.” She pocketed her phone. “Let me know your address and what time, I just have to be back before midnight.”

  
“Perfect!” She squealed and threw her arms around Andi’s neck. “You’re the best, Andi Mack!” Andi grinned and waved, feeling slightly lighter. “I’ll facetime you about what you should wear,” she winked, “we’re going to a college party after all, hon!”

  


“Alright!” She shouts back. She trudges towards her car, the future all together brighter and better than she foresaw it to be. Jonah should be out of sight, out of mind. She has better, bigger things to think about anyway, right? She nods cheerfully and puts on her indie, lofi, colorful music and bopping her head the whole ride home, completely unaware of what the future could hold. 

  


**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you thought in the comments! constructive critcism is better than no criticism anyways. check out my tumblr: voltronbih.tumblr.com to see the moodboards i plan on posting for this fic! i have headcanons for what i think the characters look like now. also, disclaimer, i obviously don't own this wonderful franchise.


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